Car-coupling



(No Model.)

" M. BERGAN.

GAR COUPLING. No. 256,953. Patented Apr.25, 1882.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MICHAEL BERGAN, OF MONA TOWNSHIP, FORD COUNTY, ILLINOIS.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 256,953, dated April 25, 1882.

Application filed July 1, 1881.

stud or pin in connection with a pivoted and gravitating hook or latch.

The objects of myinvention are, first, to provide for the insertion of the connecting-link in the draw-head without the necessity of handling the same when once connected with the draw-head of the adjacent car, or of standing between the cars when making or breaking the coupling; second, to provide a coupling which will automatically lock the connectinglink when thelinkisonceinserted; and,finally,

to provide means adapted to be operated from either the top or the side of a box-car, or both, or from the side or platform of a flat or passenger car to break the coupling. I attain these objects by devices illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a perspective of a car-coupling embodying my invention with the end of a box-car shown in dotted lines; Fig. 2, a perspective of the gravitating latch detached and reversed from its operative position; Fig. 3, a front, end elevation of the draw-head with the latch raised, and Fig. 4 longitudinal section taken through the center of the draw-head.

Similar letters of reference indicate the same parts in the several figures of the drawings.

A represents a draw-head recessed from its upper side, and having an inclined bottom or lip, a, of the usual constrncti0u,for a depressed link to travel up when entering the draw-head.

Midway the width of the slot in the drawhead is a beveled lug or draw-head pin, Z), rigidly secured to the draw-head, the outer operative face of which is beveled or inclined to cor respond with the incline of the draw-head, and the inner operative face slightly inclining ontwardly from its top to its base. This drawhead pin is preferably of steel, and may have (No model.)

the draw-head cast around it, or afterward be inserted and rigidly secured in any suitable manner. There should be sufficient space between the sides of this pin and the draw'head to permitthe connecting-link, after passing the inner end of the pin, to drop down to the bottom of the draw-head, a space at therear of the pin being not only sufiicient for this purpose, but to permit the link to have a slight longitudinal movcmentand to readily drop into place when inserted.

Forming a continuation of the recess proper of the draw-head is a somewhat narrower recess, enlarged at its bottom to receiveacoiled expansion-spring, c, operatingagainst the rear end of a latch, (I, pivoted and operating between the walls of said slot, as clearly shown in Fig. 4. Latch d is provided upon its under face with a groove, 6, adapted to receive the draw-head pin, when the latch is dropped to its operative position, to prevent the link from accidental detachment, and with a slotted arm, f, adapted to embrace the sides of the drawhead pin and to raise the link to the top of said pin, when the latch is lifted, to break the coupling. The armf might only extend to the rear face of the pin, but byhaving it slotted and extending along the sides of the pin all liability of the link to be pinched between the end of the arm and the pin, or to be turned laterally and pinch upon the pin itself, is effectually avoided, for the reason that the link is lifted by a positive movement up thesides ofthe pin.

The pivot-hole of the latch is elongated, and the latch has a longitudinal movement, but is held forward in its proper operative position by the coiled spring 0, and is arrested in its backward movement by the rear wall of its recess, and without any strain upon its pivot when the link is violently forced against the latch, as is oftentimes the case when making couplings on cars.

Latch d is designed to operate by gravity; but to insure its operation at all times a curved spring, g, semicircular at its free end, and embracing the latch and not interfering with the longitudinal movement of the same, is em ployed.

. cussion of the cars.

To provide for operating the latch-that is, to raise and maintain itout of the draw-headthe latch is connected by means of a chain, h, with the crank-arm i upon the end of a horizontal shaft, j, journaled on or above the platform of the car, and having upon its outer end a crank, it.

Upon the side of the car is a pin, Z, with which the crank k engages when lifting the latch by turning the shaft, said engagement taking place after the crank-arm has passed upwardly slightly beyond its upper dead-center, in which position the weight of the latch, with the pin l, serves to hold it and preventits return and the release of the latch by the con- If there were no concussion, the fact of the crank-arm being on its dead-center would be sufficient to hold the latch in its raised position. By having the .crank on the side of the car a convenient means is provided for a switchman to uncouple a car while passing him when making up a train, and he may not only break the coupling, but by an opposite movement of the crank drop the latch so that the next following car will automatically couple itself to the car he has uncoupled.

For the purpose of operating the coupling in a similar manner from the top of the car a vertical rod, m, operated in suitable guidestaples, is connected with the shaftj by means of an S-shaped arm, n, rigid upon the shaft, and to which the rod in is pivoted, the lower end of the rod being slightly curved to correspond with the outward curvature of the arm to enable it to swing the arm sufficiently to operate the latch. The engagement of the crank with the pin 1 also serves to preventthe S-shaped lever from swinging inwardly toward the car so far that it may not be operated by the rod-that is to say, if the end of the S-lever were swung so Far as to be vertical der strain will be forced to the base of the pin,where the strain is best resisted, and where the pin is capable of standing the greatest strain from the link.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, 1sv 1. The combination, with adraw-head, of a pivoted locking-latch longitudinally movable in the draw-head, and means, substantially as described, for movingsaid latch forward in the draw-head.

2. In a car-coupling, the combination, with the rigid draw-head pin, ot' a pivoted latch having a slotted bearing, substantially as described.

3. In acar-coupling, the pivoted and slotted gravitating latch, in combination with an expansion -spring forming a cushion for said latch, substantially as described.

4. The rigid draw-head pin, and the pivoted and longitudinal movablelocking-latch, in combination with a slotted arm rigid upon thelatch, 

